The internet became a little more serious place after Jaime Cochran decided to leave. Jaime aka @ackflags was an internet legend in her own time and will be immortalized as one of the most artfully skilled Trolls in the history of trolling.
I think the best thing I ever did was say to a media outlet that “trolling is an art.” #Marinate -Jaime Cochran
But don’t confuse Jaime’s vocation with what passes for trolling today. Jaime wasn’t a bully, she wasn’t malicious, she wasn’t trying to chill free speech. Jaime considered herself a performance artist and that true trolling was an art.
“I have a great distaste for tactless trolling and believe it cheapens it as an art form. I steer clear of bullying and malevolent trolling. If you’re not from the internet, you probably won’t get it or at least have a skewed perception when you hear the term ‘troll’, which is unfortunate.”
Jaime often trolled people she believed to be suffering from chronic conditions like racism, misogyny or stupidity.
“Most of what I do, I do with great jest and playfulness. I’m not trying to hurt anyone’s feelings, I just want to make people think and laugh along the way.” -Jaime Cochran
Consequently Sue Basko was a perfect target for Jaime’s trolling, most of which went right over Basko’s head and was taken seriously. Jaime helped make Sue Basko eFamous as an idiot.
“I troll Anonymous, I troll Occupy, I troll WikiLeaks. I do it because I’d like them to see the hypocrisies of their and our ways and as a reminder that the emperor wears no clothing.” -Jaime Cochran
Today Sue Basko posted a tribute to Jaime Cochran on an old blog of hers called Stalker Awards. Despite Sue’s claims to the contrary, her post was actually the first since she created the blog in 2013 and Jaime is the first and only recipient of a Stalker Award. In fact, Sue Basko awarded Jaime a Lifetime Achievement Award for Stalking.
“I enjoy it more when people get the humour, but it’s pretty entertaining when people out themselves as crazed cretins online.” -Jaime Cochran
In true Basko style, Sue Basko’s tribute to Jaime was all about Sue Basko and the harassment endured by Sue Basko, laced with conspiracy theories that feature Sue Basko as a victim of Jaime, ISIS, Jihad, and other Deranged People. Jaime would have loved this. An archive of Sue’s touching eulogy is here.
“FBI file on the Rustle League: “Something something Sue Basko, that time they did that thing that time, that other time stuff happened.” -Jaime Cochran
Somewhere Jaime is laughing, knowing that even after death, she was able to troll Sue Basko.
“ahhh, a sue basko joke is always a ringer and a high note to go out on,so long interfuck” -Jaime Cochran
